


In That Way

by RascallyRaven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #lifeishard, #tryingtoberelatable, Developing Friendships, Dork Adrien Agreste, Dork-In-Training Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Forgive Me, Guitarist Marinette AU, Inspired by Music, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Light Angst, Male-Female Friendship, My First Work in This Fandom, Some Fluff, all the feels, awwwwyyeeaaahhhh, les goooooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-16 18:12:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RascallyRaven/pseuds/RascallyRaven
Summary: Marinette realizes after the events of Riposte that maybe it's better to try and be friends with Adrien first before trying to capture his heart. Right when she feels ready to serenade him with her newly-acquired guitar skillz, she finds that the love of her life loves someone else?! In despair, our ravenette finds that her emotions are more influenced by music than she originally thought. Guitarist Marinette AU!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [livinglittlelie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/livinglittlelie/gifts).



> This story is my first, and hopefully not last, contribution to the Miraculous Fandom! This show is basically my life. I can't imagine my life without it anymore! I couldn't sit back and just read anymore! I hope those who find this will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Special thanks to livinglittlelie for inspiring me to write something based off of music! Check out their specific story, Within My Reach. Here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8599582/chapters/19720969 It's fantastic! Warning, you will cry. Anyways, bon appetit!

“But I don’t want him to just like me, I want him to LIIIIIIIIIIIKE me!” Marinette cried in despair. 

“Well in that case, you’ll need to learn fencing!” replied Tikki.

Marinette giggled. “On your guard, Tikki!”

The two pretended to fence as they laughed at their silliness. Marinette sighed and goes silent for a minute before she addressed her friend.

“You’re right, Tikki. It’s an amazing thing that Adrien considers me a very good friend! I should take my time, and maybe one day, he will come to love me, too!” She stared off dreamily.

Tikki giggled at her chosen’s antics. “That’s the spirit!”

\-------------------------

“So, girl, is that compass of yours going crazy, or what?” Alya teased. Marinette stared uncertainly at the two boys, wondering what to do. She thought for a moment, gathered up her courage and walked over to Luka.

“Hey, Luka! Um, you know, I think you play the wonderful guitarly. I mean guitar wonderfully! Um, I hope this isn’t too much to ask, but, I mean, you can totally say no and I’d understand. But, um, you-you know, I just think you’re so inspiring--“ 

Good-natured laughter by Luka and Adrien interrupted Marinette’s rambling.

Luka smiled and said, “Guessing by all your kind compliments on my guitar-playing skillz, you want guitar lessons?”

Marinette gaped at him. “Ye-yes! I mean, please? If it’s not too much trouble?”

Luka shook his head. “Normally I turn anyone down who asks, but for an interesting girl like you, Marinette, I wouldn’t mind at all. I usually have Wednesdays and Fridays free in the evening. Does that work for you?”

She paused and said hesitantly, “I-I think so, but I’ll have to double check. How much do you charge?”

“No charge for fellow music-lovers, especially fans of Jagged Stone.”

Marinette’s bluebell eyes widened in surprise. “Well, I don’t know if I feel comfortable with that. I mean, I’m grateful, of course, but aren’t I taking advantage…?”

“Didn’t you say Jagged Stone is your favorite artist?” Luka asked in confusion.

“Of course, yes! But—” A hand rested on her shoulder, startling the raven-haired teen. She looked up to see Adrien, whom she had almost forgot was there. _**How is that possible?!**_ she wondered.

“Marinette here designed the newest album cover for Jagged Stone. She even designed the scented sticker that came on it! Isn’t that awesome?”

Luka stared at the talented girl who, at this point, was very stiff and very red-faced. She looked around nervously before giving him an unsure smile. In turn, Luka gave her a big grin and exclaimed,

“Then it’s settled! Awesome people definitely learn to play for free! Get back to me on your availability and we’ll go from there. May I see your phone?”

Marinette started, but gave him the device. He put his number in and handed it back to her.

“Can’t wait to hear from you, Mama-Marinette.” Luka winked and walked over to where Juleka and Rose were chatting.

Marinette watched him until she heard Adrien speak behind her. “Wow, Marinette, you make friends fast!” She turned to the golden-haired model god, who was smiling down at her.

“Um, ye-yeah, I guess so.” She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

“He seems to be a pretty cool guy, too,” he added. A Cheshire grin appeared on his face, giving Marinette déjà vu.

_**I know that smile.** _

“You sure know how to pick them.”

Marinette gaped. _**Did he just…?**_

Laughter followed when Adrien saw her expression, looking like he enjoyed the look of horror on her face. 

_**Yep, he totally just made a guitar-related pun.**_

She scrunched her nose, and looked away, thoughts turning back to Luka and her lessons. She became worried she might not be able to convince her parents to let her take on another recreational activity. With how busy she already was with school, fashion designing, helping at the bakery and her Ladybug duties, Marinette started to worry she may have been a little too hasty in asking Luka for music lessons.

Noticing her stressed expression, Adrien tried reassuring her. “Guitar will be fun! You’ll be so cool to try learning a new instrument, Marinette. I might be a little jealous, as my father won’t let me stray from playing anything other than the piano. I’ve always thought it’d be cool to play the guitar, so go for it!”

Marinette resolved then and there to remain cool in Adrien’s eyes. She’d move around any schedule if it meant she could be at least a little bit miraculous in his eyes. Maybe they could even play a duet one day! She beamed up at the light of her life.

“You’re right. I can’t wait!”


	2. 2 Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette is (mostly) chill around Adrien and Alya tries to sail her ship, if not move it forward a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here goes nothing!
> 
> *dives into the depths of the unknown*

“Marinette!”

Said Parisian turned around, finding an excited Adrien running towards her.

She smiled fondly. “Hey, Adrien, what’s up?”

While Marinette no longer stuttered (much) around her crush anymore, she still couldn’t help but admire works of art. She wondered how someone could look like a beautiful angel _and_ be sweating and out of breath. The raven-haired girl giggled at the thought as Adrien looked up at her with a grin of his own. He knew he must look a little ridiculous, but this was important! He handed her a DVD case. Marinette took it, figuring it was yet another anime this otaku wanted her to try. Looking down, she found she was correct.

Adrien saw her smirk and said defensively, “I promise you’ll love this one! It’s so good! There’s action, comedy, the animation is _amazing!_ I will admit, there’s no romance, but I promise you’ll still love it!”

Marinette laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve trusted you with all the other animes you’ve shown me. I’ll believe you with this one, especially after you’ve run so desperately to get it to me!” she teased.

Adrien grinned up at her, straightening to his full height.

 _He’s gotten quite tall recently,_ Marinette mused. _Or I’ve shrunk._

“You’re the best, Marinette!” the handsome teen exclaimed.

The usually confident girl blushed, still not used to her long-time crush complimenting her.

“I’ll get started tonight, don’t you worry,” Marinette assured.

A horn honked and Adrien hurried away to his limo, calling, “Tell me when you finish and we can talk about it!” 

Marinette held out a thumbs up in return. She looked down at the case and thought, _Well, even if it doesn’t have romance, I guess I can try it out._

 

Adrien was talking to Nino in their classroom seats when someone suddenly slammed their hand on the desk in front of him. He yelped and looked up to see his assailant. Before he could utter a word, she whispered in a deadly tone,

“I stayed up _all night.”_

Adrien glanced at Nino, who just shrugged.

Marinette continued, recapturing their attention. “How _dare_ you give me such an amazing anime on a school night! You could’ve waited until the weekend, but nooooooo, you had to make it extremely difficult for me to focus on homework!”

At this point, her voice had risen almost to hysteria. Classmates entering the room looked at the trio in slight confusion but, seeing the class president’s face, decided to stay out of it.

“Soooooo…” Adrien said hesitantly, “you liked it?”

Marinette swiftly took out the DVD and put it in front of him.

“I LOVED IT!!!”

The look on her face swept any fear Adrien had of having an early death. He immediately entered Otaku Mode.

“Isn’t Saitama the best hero ever created?!”

“Of course! But I absolutely LOVE Genos, with how serious he is about absolutely everything; it’s so attractive, yet hysterical!”

“Ah, but if you read the manga, you’ll find that you might like King even more! Even with his serious appearance…”

“But we’re talking about the anime, so…”

Nino couldn’t understand a single thing that was being said. The only word he caught in the jumble of excitement was ‘anime.’ He shook his head; seemed like his best friend finally found someone who got into anime as much as himself, that person being Marinette, no less. He chuckled and shook his head. Poor girl.

The DJ glanced at the clock and decided to break up their little discussion, as entertaining as it was. “Hey, dudes, class is about to start, so you better wrap it up.” He almost laughed out loud at his friends’ expressions of despair; it was as if he told them his dog died.

“But-but we were getting to the good stuff!” the supposed teenage heartthrob whined.

“Yeah! We aren’t talking about just any old anime!” the theoretically mature Marinette exclaimed.

Despite all his instincts warning him, Nino sighed and asked, “And what’s this paragon of animated work called?”

In perfect sync, Adrien and Marinette posed, punching the air, shouting, “ONE PUUUUUUUUNCH!!!”

Nino jumped. “Dudes, not so loud--!”

“Mister Agreste! Miss Dupain-Cheng! You are too rowdy. Please sit down in your assigned seats!”

Madame Bustier had arrived.

Both teenagers blushed furiously and rushed to follow instructions.

“Sorry, bro, I tried to warn you,” Nino apologized, trying to keep his amusement undercover.

Adrien, though still pink, grinned and replied, “Yeah, but it was worth geeking out about. You don’t understand, Nino, the show is just _so good--!”_

“Okay, Adrien, I get it!”

Meanwhile, Alya was trying to hold in her own mirth. “Girl, I know you’ve been getting closer to Mr. Perfect, but that was something else!”

Marinette gave a little groan but couldn’t keep the small smile that appeared on her face. “I’m just glad I found out what a total dorkasaurus he is. It somehow makes him more…perfect!”

“Yeah, and a good fit for a personality like yours, who even uses words like ‘dorkasaurus!’

Marinette stuck out her tongue in retribution and they both giggled as their teacher started with roll call. Alya waited until the lecture began before whispering, “As great as it is that you and Adrien have become such good friends, weren’t you going to try and confess your love at some point?”

Marinette immediately shook her head. “I’m not ready for that yet, Alya. I’ve only really gotten to know him within the last month or so. It’d be too soon!”

Her best friend shook her own head in slight disappointment, and maybe the smallest impatience. “Well, you better woo your prince fast or another princess will sweep him away into the sunset!” She paused. “I know, why not use your new musical skills to serenade him under his balcony in the moonlight?”

The smaller girl scoffed. “I can’t sing, you know that.”

Alya just rolled her eyes. “Just do something about it already; he won’t be available forever! I’m dying here!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll think about it.” 

Marinette wondered what she should really do to capture Adrien’s heart. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d only just truly gotten to know the love of her life. After the events of Riposte, and especially Captain Hardrock, she’d only been more determined to try to know the boy behind all his perfection. The raven-haired girl found that the smiles he gave to classmates everyday were more polite, excepting Nino, Alya, and now her. His smile was a little softer, even a little happier. Adrien opened up to her one day when she had the guts to ask why she hadn’t seen him in public school prior to this year. Chloe was in the same social circles as him, so it _was_ a legitimate question. She learned about his overprotective father and how he wanted his son to be the epitome of perfection. Adrien sadly told her how his father seemed to value Image over showing affection to his only child. Marinette apologized, knowing that wasn’t entirely true, but couldn’t quite tell the blonde that Gabriel had, in fact, proudly shown off his offspring to her. As Ladybug.

After that day, a huge weight seemed to fall off her crush’s shoulders. He’d sought her company more often, even visiting her at the bakery. Unfortunately, with how busy he was, his visits were far and few in between. Marinette chuckled to herself as she thought of the more frequent guest calls of a certain cat. It was interesting, she reflected, that on the days Adrien had to cancel hang-outs, Chat Noir came in his stead. She wasn’t stupid. After a couple of these situations, she asked the model if he knew the Parisian hero personally. He’d answered a vague affirmative, which meant he most certainly knew the hero better than he let on, and she was pleased he would go out of his way to make sure she wasn’t alone. She’d let it slide, not about to complain to be in her kitty’s presence more often.

Marinette sighed pensively. Now that she sat back, she saw how similar her partner and crush were. _Especially when it comes to anime,_ she laughed internally. _No wonder they’re friends! Next time Chat visits, I’ll have to ask if he knows about “One Punch Man.” The music itself could capture his attention…_

Suddenly, Alya’s idea of playing a song for Adrien didn’t seem so silly. Marinette grinned privately as she began to plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think Alya represents us fans. Are we all not dying a little inside every time our two hopeless lovebirds miss the obvious?


	3. A Sad Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries to find the perfect song to woo Adrien into finally noticing her romantically. However, the timing is a little off, but it's not just her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the feels begin! Also, titles aren’t my thing. My apologies. And I’m working on figuring out the formatting. Thank you for your patience!

That Friday afternoon during free period, Marinette left for the library. She was finally able to start on Operation: Serenade. She’d find the perfect song to learn and play for Adrien, and he’d start to fall in love with her at long last! Her pace quickened in excitement. The love-struck girl sat at one of the computers, took out her earbuds, and proceeded to YouTube. She’d find that perfect song!

Marinette became so focused on the music, she didn’t notice Adrien pulling Nino into the room. The blonde supposed nobody would be here on a Friday afternoon. It was too close to the weekend for anyone to focus on schoolwork when freedom was so close. He dragged Nino into an aisle of books near the computers for a quiet conversation. He needed advice.

“Okay, bro, you got me into the library. I want to remind you our midterm project isn’t due for another month!” Nino said, unimpressed.

Adrien looked around one more time before addressing his friend. “I called you in here to ask for advice. I think it’s time I confess to my crush but I don’t know how to go about it.”

Nino gaped at him, not entirely believing what he just heard. Handsome model, smooth, intelligent, nice guy Agreste didn’t know how to profess romantic feelings?! Not possible.

“Dude,” he deadpanned. “This’s why I’m postponing my date with Alya? Because the most romantic person I know doesn’t know how to say, ‘I love you’?!”

The DJ spoke a little too loud and was shushed too late. Marinette was shaken out of her zone, having heard the word ‘love.’ She quietly paused the playlist she found and assumed an air of nonchalance. Was someone having relationship troubles? Maybe she could help from the shadows.

“This girl is special! The place, the mood, the timing must all be perfect! But I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

Marinette perked. That sounded like Adrien’s voice.

“Dude, whatever you do will be lit. No need to stress! Keep it simple and sweet; that’s how Alya and I do.”

It seemed Adrien had the girl troubles and needed Nino’s help. The small teen frowned. Why didn’t Adrien come to her about it? He’d been opening up to her more often. Unless… Her mind went into overdrive. _Ohmygosh what if it’s me? If he didn’t come talk to me about it, maybe he’s too nervous and didn’t want to be too obvious! I mean, it’s just like him to overthink things sometimes, especially about romance. It reminds me of how he reacted to Takeo’s thought process from that one anime we watched together--_

Adrien’s voice cut through her thoughts. “I know, but…” He sounded a little lost.

“Marinette is an easy person to please,” Nino said kindly. “Anything you do makes her happy, so I’m sure whatever you have planned—”

“Wait, Marinette?” Adrien interrupted. “What about her?”

The mentioned girl froze.

“The special girl you’re talking about is Marinette…right?” Nino asked perplexedly?

The pause that followed was almost too much for Marinette until Adrien spoke up.

“No, not Marinette. I mean, she’s amazing, talented, and kind, don’t get me wrong…”

She couldn’t listen anymore. It was too painful to hear the one person she’d been pining after talk about her in relative pity. Marinette mechanically continued playing the music, not nearly as much into it as she was previously. This girl, who wasn’t her, must be a goddess with how Adrien went on about her. The crushed girl wondered what this girl had that she didn’t.

Before her thoughts could get more depressed, a song started playing that resonated with her feelings so perfectly, she started to tear up. She read the title: _One Punch Man OST: Sadness._ Closing her eyes, Marinette knew this was the song she wanted to play. It may have been the simplest song she’d heard yet, and not as exciting as she was expecting, but she knew this was it.

She printed the music for her lesson with Luka that night, unaware she made her presence known to the secretive boys a short distance away. She quickly packed her things and left for home. She’d need some sweets to help calm her down. A lot of sweets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anime Marinette was thinking of, for those who don’t know, was “Ore Monogatari,” or alternatively known as "My Love Story." I like to think Adrien’s dramatic ways are similar to Takeo’s.
> 
> Here's the link to the song Marinette found, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zm2MnYBXHY. I have yet to figure out how to create links to click on in the chapter. Until then, here ya go!


	4. Strange Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is worried about Marinette and decides he wants to do something about it. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yo, I'm exhausted. I just hope this chapter makes sense. Enjoy, amigos!

Nino and Adrien stared after their friend, worried about the gloomy expression on her face. They both desperately hoped she hadn’t overheard their conversation.

Nino knew the world was going to end and that Alya might kill him if he said something tonight. Knowing the Ladyblogger, she’d get information out of him sooner rather than later. _Yeah, but it doesn’t have to ruin the mood of our date today. I can tell her about it another time…”_

As for Adrien, he immediately worried he offended his friend. Even if she didn’t have a crush on him, she may have taken offense in his lack of interest in her romantically. He knew how that felt; Ladybug had yet to reciprocate the romantic feelings he had for her, which was why he asked Nino to talk with him in the first place. He wanted to change his Lady’s mind and show her that he would treat her with the adoration and respect she deserved. He wanted to do that for her and constantly tried to prove it, but she either shut him down with a push on the nose or just giggled and flitted away like her namesake. One day, he knew he would succeed, he just had to keep pushing.

However, he’d recently become a tad sidetracked. The Parisian model wasn’t sure when it began, but he’d slowly found himself constantly in Marinette’s company, both in civilian and superhero form. They became fast friends before he realized it. Not that he’d complain; he discovered the time he spent with the lovely girl created some of his most favorite memories. She was an excellent listener; never complained (which is a breath of fresh air from Chloe, he must admit); she had a great singing voice, despite what she thought; but the thing he cherished most was how comfortable he could be around her. Whether they were watching anime, or he was dozing near her in a cozy silence as she created designs, he loved it. Marinette was awesome! He did have an inkling she might have a crush on him, or rather, Chat Noir. But… the woman who stole his heart was Ladybug.

So why did he feel so guilty?

“Thanks for meeting up with me, Nino. I, uh, I better go.”

Nino wasn’t about to complain. He had a date! “Sure thing, bro. And, uh, good luck,” he said sympathetically, patting his best friend’s shoulder.

Adrien nodded before quickly heading home. He had to finish some things to free his evening so he could check up on Marinette. She had guitar lessons tonight, but he’d try and catch her before she left.

 

_Shootshootshootshootshootshootshootshoot…_

Chat Noir raced across the Paris rooftops, anxious that he’d be too late to see his friend before she left her house. His dinner was prepared later than normal, so he had to be careful not to show his nervous energy to Nathalie when he was finished. Didn’t want her checking up on him if he acted suspicious.

The hero was a block away from his objective when a flash of pink caught his attention. He paused in his sprint to see that he was too late. She was already on her way.

Internally cursing himself for being too slow, Chat almost turned to leave when Marinette stopped walking. She peered up at the sky, her soft eyes glistening. Chat was startled to see that there were tears. It seemed she truly was upset about something. _Maybe it had nothing to do with my conversation with Nino,_ he reflected. _But what about it would make her so upset?_

Nodding to himself, Chat decided to follow the miserable-looking girl to her destination. Whatever it was, he’d find out and then try to cheer her up. _She's always more beautiful when she smiles._ The feline hero suddenly froze, feeling his cheeks warm up. _Where did that come from?!_ He was so confused by the thought, he almost lost Marinette. Shaking his head, he rushed to catch up to her.

Marinette seemed to have controlled her emotions by the time she reached the Couffaine ship. The sneaky cat saw Luka waiting for her on the open, yet forever cluttered, deck. Hiding himself in the perfect spot so he could see and hear, yet not be seen or heard, Chat settled down. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t heard Marinette play the guitar yet. He became excited, betting that she would be good. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was good at everything, even if she tended to be clumsy. But that never stopped her, which Chat admired.

Marinette sat down in front of a meditating Luka and greeted him softly.

“Hey, Luka.”

The older teen looked up at her and smiled. “Mama-Marinette.”

Though she was facing away, Chat could tell she was rolling her eyes. “Why must you insist on calling me that? It’s embarrassing!” she insisted. “You were the one who surprised me by appearing out of nowhere!”

Luka only laughed. “You were a little jumpy and I thought it was cute.”

Chat frowned. He didn’t remember Juleka’s brother being a flirt. His frown deepened when he saw red on the girl’s cheeks. _Why doesn’t she like it when I tease her? It may not be flirting, but still.”_ He felt a burning sensation in his chest he couldn’t put a name to, concerning him more. _What is wrong with me today?_

Before he could dwell in his thoughts further, Luka spoke up. “Did you find a song you wanted to play tonight, Marinette?”

She dipped her head in confirmation and handed the sheet of chords to him she printed off earlier. After studying it for a couple minutes, Luka nodded and declared, “Alright.” Chat swore he recognized some of the chords the older teen played but couldn’t quite put a name to it.

“Marinette?”

She gazed up, looking into teal eyes.

“Close your eyes. I want you to listen.”

Slightly confused, she did as she was asked.

As Luka started to play, Marinette smiled a little. No matter how many times she’d heard Luka play, she was always amazed. He could somehow take a song, find the heart and gently coax its true emotions out of hiding. She hoped to find out how he did it someday. For now, she was grateful to know such a talented artist.

Chat himself became stunned. This was the song she wanted to learn how to play? He wasn’t sure how to feel; for one, he was excited because she was inspired to play from One Punch Man, which was awesome; but on the other hand, he, too, caught the dismaying undertone and became concerned. _What has made her this sad?_ He watched Marinette’s face express more emotions than he had names for, but he decided overall she seemed…comforted? Chat saw another tear glisten down her cheek. The sudden impulse to jump down and tightly hug Marinette overcame him, the strength of such a feeling overwhelming him. _What is going on with me today?_ he wondered, a bit frustrated.

Luka stopped playing before Chat could do anything strange and met Marinette’s eyes. She nodded in a silent confirmation that he had, indeed, played what was in her heart. Luka decided that maybe they could end the lesson on a high note, which Marinette appreciated. They were silent as they packed away their guitars about 15 minutes later, the occasionally quiet hero noticing that Luka kept glancing over to the raven-haired teen.

“Thank you for tonight, Luka. I enjoyed myself, as always,” Marinette said gratefully.

“Of course, Marinette,” the taller teen replied hesitantly. Just as she turned to walk away, he stopped her with a quick, “Wait!”

Chat perked up. Was that pink on Luka’s cheeks?

“I know you’re having a rough time, and I’m sorry about that.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I just want you to know that you can always count on me if you need someone to, er, talk to.” Before Marinette could reply, he carefully pulled her into a hug. Though she was startled at the sudden contact, the small girl leaned into the hug, grateful for the comfort.

Meanwhile, the cat-themed superhero was gaping down at the scene. When had they become so close? Of course, she had been seeing him for guitar lessons, but that should hardly qualify as reason to suddenly _hug_ her! The burning sensation from earlier came back in full force.

Chat Noir froze as he finally came to the realization that somehow, inexplicably, he was jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh, our poor kitten. Why must he be so oblivious? And, I must admit, I love Luka as a character. I'm interested to see where Astruc goes with him.
> 
> Also, when I thought of some upbeat songs Luka could be playing, I thought of Lifehouse. That's probably because I was listening to them while I was writing this, but hey, they're great!
> 
> Please leave thoughts in the comments and kudos if you liked it! Y'all are great! Until next time. Peace and love. <3


	5. Strong Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light angst begins as Chat tries to figure out how to help Marinette, only to make it worse somehow?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, everyone! My apartment complex was suddenly out of WiFi for three whole days! Management was fixing some cables and trying to improve the signal or something. Made it real hard to play my Nikki game. And post this chapter full of introspection. I hope you like.

As Chat followed Marinette home on the rooftops, he thought the girl below him had a slightly lighter step now than from before her guitar lessons. With Luka. It was strange; he was glad she was feeling better, if by a little bit, but he was also jealous. _He_ wanted to be the one who put that spring in her step. But _why?_ He thought back to a time when Nino was feeling down because he was in a funk with his music. No matter how much Adrien had tried to comfort him, Nino didn’t seem to cheer up. When the model saw his friend the next day, the DJ was smiling his normal bright grin. It turned out Alya had said a few words, which had helped tremendously. Adrien still had no idea what she said, and every time he asked her, she would just give him an almost evil grin and not answer with anything except with a quiet, “It’s a secret that must never be revealed for virgin ears.”

He still had no idea what that meant, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

But was he jealous when Alya could comfort her boyfriend in a way that his best friend was unable to?

Now that he thought about it, not exactly. Girlfriend status was on a different plane than BFF status. So why he may have felt a tad inadequate as Nino’s best friend (though Nino reassured Adrien on that point), he understood he did as much as possible to help. Alya was the help Nino needed in that instance.

So what did this jealousy mean?!

Chat shook his head in frustration to clear it. Maybe he should drop in for a house call and find out.

 

Marinette, who was filled with her own thoughts on the nights events, felt exhausted. She’d felt too many emotions in one day and was ready to collapse on her comfy bed. Still, she knew she’d be unable to sleep with all these thoughts running swiftly through her mind. A trip to her balcony sounded like the perfect solution. She climbed up through the trap door, reveling in the cool night air. Even when she felt a storm raging inside her, the Parisian night air was gentle and peaceful.

She gave a deep sigh. _I should do this more oft--_

A black shadow topped with golden hair landed in front of her, causing her to shriek.

_Or not._

“Ch-Chat! What are you doing? You can’t just scare me out of nowhere! What in the he--?” Marinette’s voice drifted off as she saw a rare serious expression on her partner’s face. She peered curiously at his face, unconsciously studying his face as he was studying hers. He seemed…worried?

Before she could decipher any more emotions running across his face, Chat snapped out of whatever thoughts he was having and shook his head. His normal flirty smile appeared on his face.

“Sorry, Princess, I just happened to see my favorite civilian out and about upon her balcony and decided to drop by.” He gave an exaggerated bow. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I guess I’m more worried about you than I realized.”

The baker’s daughter started in surprise. _He was worried about me?_

“But why?” she asked aloud.

Chat looked puzzled. “Why what?”

“You said you were worried about me. Why?”

Green eyes blinked and a light blush appeared on his cheeks before the hero stiffened and stated nervously, “I’ve noticed you don’t look happy tonight and wondered if something’s wrong.”

Marinette blinked in surprise. Was she that obvious? The small girl muttered under her breath about the observant men in her life. She spoke up before the curious cat could figure out what she meant.

“I learned my long-time crush likes someone else.” She tried to keep the tears at bay as she looked at the ground. “I thought if I spent more time with him and became better friends, he would finally see me as someone other than nervous, stuttering Marinette. Turns out I was too late. He likes what sounds like the most wonderful, perfect girl to ever exist.” Though she wasn’t bitter, it still hurt to think this mysterious girl had something she didn’t. She could’ve sworn her and Adrien were meant for each other.

A large hand fell on the gloomy girl’s shoulder. “Marinette,” Chat’s gentle voice pled. “Look at me.” Shining blue eyes looked up to meet kind green ones. “If this boy can’t see what’s right in front of him, that’s his problem, not yours. You are kind, intelligent, witty, and beautiful.” Marinette’s eyes widened at the last compliment. _Does he really think I’m beautiful?_ “Yes, you may be clumsy sometimes…” She snorted at that. “But I think that only makes you more endearing. You tend to stand right back up and march on with your head held high. I think that’s very admirable.”

Marinette stared up at Chat in wonder. Having spent more time with him recently allowed her to see more of his soft side rather than his flirty side, but she never knew he was this…sweet. Sure, there was that one time he visited her when Ladybug didn’t show up to his surprise. She saw a glimpse of his kindness, not to mention romantic, side then. What he was displaying now was different; he was speaking to her as more than a friend. He was comforting her, as a friend would, but was being realistic as a _best_ friend would be. And if Marinette were being honest with herself, that’s more of a relationship than she had with Adrien. The thought was simultaneously reassuring and frightening.

Car alarms abruptly went off in the distance, shaking her from her thoughts. Realizing she hadn’t answered her partner yet, she gave him a tiny smile in thanks. “You’re right, Chat. I guess it was inevitable we were going to be just friends. I’d had a hope recently since we started hanging out more, but… I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” 

The cat-themed hero tilted his head and softly asked, “What’s this boy’s name?”

Marinette blushed furiously, suddenly more interested in cleaning her nails. Chat stared at her expectantly, hoping she would open up, but she decided it was too embarrassing and stubbornly avoided his gaze. He sighed. It was a long-shot anyway. She turned away from his hand, which had stayed on her shoulder, and walked to her trap door to enter below.

“Wait!”

Marinette paused, not turning around. “I think I need to be alone tonight, Chat.”

The tall hero waited a long moment before walking around to stand in front of his best friend. Hesitantly, he held out his arms towards her, in what seemed like an awkward offer for a hug. The short girl gaped a little at him. He really seemed uncomfortable yet seemed determined to offer physical comfort. _We’ve never hugged before, have we?_ She glanced up at him for a few moments before shaking her head. _He might just feel pity,_ she thought dejectedly.

His eyes dimmed as she patted his shoulder. “Thanks for listening, Chaton,” she said quietly before lowering herself into her room and closing the hatch.

If she had looked back, she would’ve seen her kind kitty frowning in disappointment. 

His hug had been rejected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the misunderstandings continue! Teenagers. So emotional sometimes. But why end there when you can have another chapter full of what I see as angst? Here we gooooooo.


	6. Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small insert with Adrien's thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more like a drabble. I couldn’t find a good place for this in the last chapter since it ended with Marinette closing her hatch. I felt like that was nicely symbolic. I was going to continue on with the plot but my husband demanded I pick into Adrien’s mind some more, so here we are, haha. Enjoy!

Chat frowned as he slowly lowered his outstretched arms.

What just happened?

_She rejected my hug._

Chat’s eyes widened as he thought back to his conversation with Marinette. Did he offend her? AGAIN? Is she mad at him for pressuring her? Did he pry too much? Was the offer too creepy?

The image of Marinette accepting Luka’s hug immediately came to mind. _What’s he got that I don’t?_ Jealousy surged up into his chest stronger than before, causing him to put a hand against his chest. He wondered why he felt such strong feelings about someone who’d become his best friend in and out of the mask. He didn’t lie when he complimented her earlier; she was truly an incredible person, one of two in his life. He just happened to love one more than the other.

_Wait, I like Marinette a lot, but I don’t like-like her. My heart belongs to Ladybug! But that still doesn’t explain my jealousy…_

Before he could contemplate further on the nature of his feelings, his ring beeped at him. Plagg was ready to eat some more disgusting camembert. Chat turned to the direction of his house until a small sob stopped him in his tracks. Sadness swept over him, making him feel helpless. He understood she needed her space but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

He made a quiet yet determined promise in his heart: He will help Marinette feel better and get her back to her cheerful self again. Even if he had hurt her in some way and she didn’t want him around, he would help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I agree with Astruc: Rule #1 of Miraculous- Adrien is perfect. (Even if he is oblivious.)
> 
> Sorry this is so short. I had a long day training someone at work. I'll try to make it up to y'all tomorrow with more light angsty stuff!
> 
> And thanks to everyone who's left kudos and such! I really appreciate it! Feels good to be part of the Miraculous Fandom. Until tomorrow, my lovelies! <3


	7. In That Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette learns another song to play and needs to talk to somebody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I hope this make up for last chapter’s tiny drabble. It is a little emotional, in my opinion, so I’m just warning you now. I’m basing most of this story off of personal experience, so forgive me for being a bit personal. It took me a couple days because I had a Noragami marathon with my little sister, which inevitably ended with the WORST migraine! Not doing that again.
> 
> Also, do people outside of the U.S. use Pandora? Even if they don’t, this is an AU, soooo I do what I want. Muahahahaaaaa!!!

Marinette slept horribly, if at all. She couldn’t stop thinking about Chat’s advice and what to do about it. She’d narrowed it down to two options after much internal debate:

On one hand, she could confess. The very thought of confessing her feelings to the love of her life terrified the living breath out of her. However, she knew it would make her feel better to finally relieve the building pressure in her heart. Even if Adrien rejected her, Marinette knew she would have no regrets.

On the other hand, she could keep her feelings locked inside her heart. What if, by confessing, she ruined their friendship forever? But that would mean she’d basically give up on her three-year crush. Letting him go would definitely tear her apart. She’d loved him for so long…

The result from her inner consulting session ended up giving the Parisian girl a splitting headache to match her puffy eyes from crying for so long. Tikki knew Marinette needed some alone time, so she headed to her corner to give the girl some privacy. Just as the raven-haired teen contemplated trying to get some sleep, her phone rang cheerfully. Marinette groaned as she reached over to pick up the noisy object.

“Hello?”

A pause. “Hey, Marinette. Did I wake you up?”

“Oh, hi, Alya. No, I’m not ready for bed yet, it’s okay. What’s up?” Marinette tried in a falsely cheery tone.

“Well, you should try to sleep soon because I wanted to go on a shopping trip tomorrow! I’ve been thinking a lot about upgrading the Ladyblog and I need to do some research! Wanna come?” Alya asked excitedly.

Her friend gave an almost indistinguishable sigh and tiredly declined. “Sorry, Alya, but I’m not feeling so good. I think I’d rather have a quiet weekend in.”

Alya noticed the emotional undertone in the tired teen’s voice. “What’s wrong, girl?”

“Nothing-nothing’s wrong! I guess today just kinda knocked me in for a loop. Ha ha! Ha…”

While the Ladyblogger sensed truth in the statement, she knew it wasn’t the whole scoop. “Well, I can understand that,” she said slowly. “I’ll visit you sometime tomorrow, then.”

Marinette knew she couldn’t keep her energetic friend away and agreed. “Thanks, Alya. Good night.”

“Sleep well, girl.”

Alya hung up and stared out her bedroom window pensively. She was suspicious her best friend’s reasons for staying locked up in her bedroom was boy related. Marinette was perfectly cheery all day today; the only time the brunette wasn’t with her was during last period.

 _Something happened while she was in the library._ Alya remembered Adrien trying to casually pull Nino away from their little study group at that time, obviously not wanting her involved in whatever conversation he wanted to have. While amused, she decided to let them have their Bro Time.

But now that Marinette seemed upset enough to have been crying…well, that changed everything. And she was determined to get to the bottom of this. It would just take a little bit of coaxing and flirting on her part.

A wicked grin began to spread across Alya’s face. _This is gonna be fun._

 

Morning rays greeted messy sheets and crumpled tissues, casually spilling onto Marinette’s tear-stained cheeks and reaching her red-rimmed eyes. She groaned in complaint as the sun’s smiling beams grew too bright for her to ignore. Blinking her eyes open, Marinette slowly sat up and looked around at the mess from the previous night.

She’d been miserable.

The bluebell-eyed teen knew she couldn’t mope forever, though. She was better than that. Despite the fact she still had to decide what to do about her relationship with Adrien, she wasn’t as overwhelmed. She could take her time.

Marinette continued to lay in bed until almost 11 before she got up to shower. She may have felt like garbage, but it didn’t mean she needed to smell like it. Getting her Pandora station on her phone, she gathered her clothes and headed to the bathroom. Marinette loved listening to music as she showered; it always cheered her up, if not comforted her, even when sad music was on. Unconsciously, she always picked music that reflected how she felt at the time. Today was Gavin Rossdale Radio.

As the music playing in the background, Marinette contemplated her options once more and tried to weight the pros and cons of telling Adrien of her feelings. It would be hard no matter what, which made it that much tougher to figure out what to do. She remembered Alya was going to show up at some point today, so maybe she could ask her what to do; she wasn’t getting anywhere on her own.

Just before she reached to turn the water off, an acoustic song started to play.

_”I’d like to tell you and I’d like to say how I, I feel right now. And I’d like to follow you down the hall and see where it goes from there. Oh, but you, you don’t care…”_

Marinette paused on the handle. Something about the lyrics spoke to her.

_”Cause you don’t see me that way, you don’t see the way I look at you when you are not looking a me! I wish that I could tell you every single thought I ever had about you and me, but you don’t see me that way.”_

She thought she had cried herself dry last night, but the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes proved her wrong. As she continued to listen to the song, Marinette thought of how she’d always watched Adrien from a distance until she did something about it. They were friends now, and dare she think it, great friends. Because she tried to see her crush as a human being, she saw new sides to him she’d never had noticed had he remained an idol in her mind. But now, she felt she was getting greedy. She wanted more.

_”Stare at you across the room or maybe make a move at you, I don’t think you’d take it too well. Steal another glance or two or maybe take a chance with you, but you, you don’t need me. You don’t even see me!...”_

All Marinette could do was stand in the now-cold shower and listen to the rest of the song with tears streaming down her face. Every word struck a chord with her. In an odd way, it gave her hope; she wasn’t the only one who’d gone through something like this. And she knew just the way to help get the sadness out of her system without crying (though it was too late at this point).

She quickly turned off the water and rushed to dry herself off and get dressed. Going back to the song, she saw the title. “You Don’t See Me.” She’d never heard of the band, but immediately liked them. She promised to herself she’d listen to any other songs they had to offer some other time. For now, it was time to find the chords and learn this song. And maybe make herself a couple ice cream sandwiches with her parent’s delicious cookies.

 

That’s where Alya found her later that afternoon, practicing the new song. She’d gotten pretty good, too. She was at it for a few hours, after all. Alya raised an eyebrow as she witnessed the proof of her earlier suspicions. She shook her head as she took in Marinette’s outfit, if she could call it that. The raven-haired girl looked like she just threw on whatever was nearby. And did she even wash her hair? It was a rat’s nest! And look at the crumb’s everywhere!

Alya had already seen Nino but couldn’t get much out of him. He was quite loyal when it came to Adrien, so all she really got was that Adrien was having girl troubles. Snapping out of her musings, Alya needed to make her friend aware of her presence. Time to get her to spill the deets! Marinette hadn’t seemed to notice her entrance, so she cleared her throat. The guitar Marinette held went quiet as she stopped strumming, quickly looking up. A small smile of relief appeared on her face as she greeted her best girlfriend. “You came!”

Alya chuckled. “I said I would, didn’t I?” Her small friend gave an affirmative hum, looking down at the floor with a puzzled look on her face. She wasn’t sure if she had the courage to tell Alya what was going on with her…

Seeing her hesitance, Alya put a hand on her hip and stated assuredly, “Girl, I know you’re having some boy troubles. There’s no point in trying to hide it.”

Marinette slumped in defeat. _I forget how observant she is sometimes._

She studied her caring schoolmate for a moment before gesturing to her chaise in a silent invitation to sit down. Alya obediently sat down, ready to listen.

The nervous girl took a deep breath. “So, I was talking to my, uh, dad last night about my crush on Adrien, cause he’s a boy and he knows a couple things about how boys’ brains work and stuff. An-Anyway, he gave me some advice about how if he doesn’t see me, then he basically doesn’t deserve me. And so, um, I’ve been…been thinking a lot about what that could mean and I’m just so confused and worried and--!”

“Marinette!” Alya interrupted.

“Yes?” she squeaked.

“Remember what I said to you on Adrien’s birthday, way back a couple years ago?”

Marinette hunched forward, nodding.

Alya peered at her best friend, knowing that what she’d say next would probably make or break her. But Marinette was strong. She could pull through.

The tan girl straightened and claimed with confidence, “I think Adrien has seen what an amazing person you are, and I believe he does like you. But I also agree with your dad; if he can’t see a potential relationship with you, then he certainly doesn’t deserve you the way we both were hoping.”

The two girls stared at each other, both trying to read the other’s expression. All Alya could read was that Marinette was at the climax of her struggle, deciding whether or not to let go of her crush on Adrien. Said teen was, indeed, struggling, but drew strength from her friend’s love and assurance.

Finally making her decision, Marinette stood up straight from her roller chair and marched over to her strong friend. She gently pulled Alya to her and squeezed her tight. “Thank you so much! I don’t know how I have such wonderful people who care for me, but I’m so lucky!”

Alya patted her head before returning her embrace. “You don’t have to do anything on your own, silly girl. You can always talk to me about stupid boys.” She felt Marinette nod into her shoulder. The brunette lightly pushed the raven-haired teen away to smile at her. “Have you made your decision?”

Marinette blinked. She knew that once she spoke it out loud, it would become real and she would have to stick with it. Rubbing away the remnants of her tears, she held her head up high and declared, “I will always love Adrien but I don’t want to force him to love me back. As his friend, I want him to be happy, even if it’s not with me.”

Her best friend nodded in approval. “I’m proud of you, girl.”

They hugged it out some more before Alya stated she had to go home to babysit her sisters; time had flown while they’d talked. As she was leaving, she noticed that when Marinette played the song from earlier, it had a more resolved sound to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya is so smart. The only problem with that is she can’t see the obvious. I forget: do we know what keeps our precious superheroes’ identities secret? Is it Miraculous Magic in the masks or even an aura? Or are all the civilians of Paris simply that slow?
> 
> And no, I’m not going to reveal the artist of the song just yet. I will say, they are amazing. I discovered them through a friend in high school. Good stuff. I actually listened to this song when I felt down about a dumb boy. He ended up marrying someone else. But that’s okay, I found someone better. Sucka!


	8. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat arrives to cheer Marinette up, but things don’t exactly go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, have a little LadyNoir. *tosses it like a frisbee*

Chat watched from the bakery’s balcony as Alya walked away yet not seeing her. His mind swirled with the information he just overheard, starting to pace as it ran through his brain.

This whole time, Marinette was in love with _Adrien._ How had he not seen it? He knew the answer immediately: Adrien was distracted by Ladybug, whom _he_ was in love with. Chat blushed when he remembered the advice he’d given Marinette just the night before; he’d inadvertently dissed himself!

Before he could figure out how to face his best girl with these new revelations, he heard her stop playing the song she was practicing. He paused his pacing, realizing she must have heard him. Mind going blank, he ran; he wasn’t ready to face Marinette just yet. Too soon!

 

Marinette had, indeed, heard her Chaton pacing up on her balcony and was about to climb up to let him in, until a flash of blonde through the window caught her eye. She quickly looked to see her kitty racing away along the rooftops, moving out of sight, in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower.

She started panicking. _Did he hear everything?!_

Tikki zoomed out of her hiding place and into her chosen’s face. “Calm down, Marinette! Don’t you need to go after him?”

Marinette paused before shaking her head to clear it. Of course; her kitty needed her. Something obviously was worrying him. His pacing had gotten quite frantic. Raising her head confidently, she said the magic words. “Tikki, spots on!”

 

 

The cool night air helped Chat calm down some. His mind was still reeling with Marinette’s conversation with her best girlfriend, especially the last part. _”I will always love Adrien but I don’t want to force him to love me back. As his friend, I want him to be happy, even if it’s not with me.”_ How was it possible for someone to be so kind? Even after most likely overhearing his and Nino’s conversation the afternoon before, she was still putting Adrien’s feelings before her own.

A quiet thump near him startled him out of his musings. _Ladybug._

“Hey, Chaton,” she greeted as she walked over to sit next to him.

Putting on his best and most goofy smile, he turned and acknowledged his love. “My Lady.”

“I saw you running about and thought I’d see how you’re doing.”

Chat blinked. This was a first; she’d never sought him out to just inquire after his well-being. Flustered, he stammered, “I-I’m fine, just fine! Thanks for asking!”

Ladybug just narrowed her eyes in disbelief, staring him down.

Chat’s lips twitched in amusement; it was just like his Lady to see right through him. They’d been partners for too long. Giving a reluctant sigh, he admitted, “I’ve been worried about a friend the past couple days. I saw her looking upset and happened to follow her to her guitar lessons last night. She seemed to perk up a little bit…” He growled a little, surprising Ladybug. “Especially after her teacher, er, helped her out a bit,” he finished grudgingly. “And I tried helping her out last night, but I think I just made it worse. So now I don’t know what to do.”

Ladybug nodded slowly, remaining silent; she knew he was talking about Marinette. But she was confused about one thing.

“You sound like you care a lot for this girl.”

Chat’s face heated up in embarrassment. “Well, she’s amazing! I have a lot of respect for her! She’s so talented, kind, smart…” He trailed off. Dang, he sounded smitten! Not daring to say more without sounding like a lovesick puppy, he lightly glared back at Ladybug, as if challenging her to contradict him. She just stared back until she started giggling. Chat puffed up his cheeks in indignation, looking away but making her laugh harder and rocking back and forth.

“No ne-need to get your fur into a ruf-ruffle, kitty,” she gasped in between breaths. “You’re just so-so cute when in love! I think it’s ssw-sweet! Pl-please excuse m-me! I’m n-not laugh-laughing at you!” she hooted.

Chat was taken aback. _In love? She knows about my feelings regarding her. Ever since Glaciator…_ Then it struck him; he never outright said the “L” word to her face. He remembered she had someone else in her life she liked, but he thought he could change her mind. They were meant to be, after all…weren’t they? A sudden panic arose in his chest as a part of his conversation with Marinette came to the forefront of his mind. _It turns out I was too late._ Was he too late in confessing to Ladybug?

Ladybug interrupted his internal panic. “I’m so sorry, Chat, I promise I wasn’t making fun of you. Okay, maybe I was teasing you a bit, but you just looked so cute when you were blushing and all embarrassed…” She continued to ramble until Chat realized she thought she’d offended him.

“NO!” he shouted. “Uhm, I mean, no, it’s okay, Bugaboo.” He looked up into her beautiful bluebell eyes and saw relief. _”You’re not just a partner, Chat Noir, you’re my friend. And I’d never want to lie to a friend.”_ His Lady’s words came back from that gorgeous night when he’d laid out the candles to impress her and show his devotion to her. She’d been honest with him but he had yet to return the favor in full. Yes, he said she was his friend, too, but he wanted more.

Heart full to bursting, he took a deep breath and blurted, “I love you!”

Ladybug looked surprised by his outburst but then swatted his arm. “I know, you silly kitty. I love you, too. We’re partners who’ve gone through a lot together, and you’ve become more than that. You’re my best friend!” She thought a moment before adding on, “My best partner!” She nodded, liking the sound of that.

Chat shook his head “That-that’s not what I meant, Ladybug.” Her eyes widened. It must be serious if he didn’t call her by one of his nicknames he’d given her. He gently took one of her hands, putting his other hand on top. “I love you as more than a partner, best friend and even best partner. I want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you. I want to be able to text you randomly throughout the day and see how you’re doing, or just share memes with you.” He almost stopped breathing. “I want to date you, Ladybug.”

There. He said it. He actually said it! If it weren’t for the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he might have collapsed then and there. He hadn’t realized he’d stood up in his passionate declaration. His heart almost stopped beating completely when his Lady started shaking her head ever so slightly. The saddened look on her face almost undid him.

“We…can’t, Chat. We’re superheroes. It will jeopardize our secret identities. And before you say it won’t,” she held up a warning finger, shushing him, “it will inevitably end in us knowing each other’s identities.” She looked down at the ground, as if ashamed. “And I don’t think I’m ready for that.” After a moment, his Lady stood up and peered back up into his emerald eyes almost desperately, trying to get her feelings across. “I don’t want to try and lead you on; I will always be honest with you about anything I can. I care so much about you, kitty, I really do!... But we must remain best partners.”

Chat couldn’t pull his eyes away from the girl superhero’s even if he tried. She seemed so earnest and she hadn’t let go of his hand yet. In fact, she was only holding it tighter. She was just so perfect and responsible; she was just keeping the safety of Paris in mind while he selfishly wanted to pursue a relationship with her. Wasn’t he lucky enough to have her in his life, willing to remain being best partners with him, even when he almost screwed that up?

Finally closing his eyes, he gave a small smile. Maybe it was time to give up on this romance. A sharp pain struck his heart, knocking his breath away. He chastised himself. _Now is not the time to grieve!_ He leaned forward and lightly landed his forehead onto the other hero’s. _She will always be my Lady._ He opened his eyes to find his love had closed hers. She seemed content, and Chat would make sure she always felt that way. He now understood what Marinette meant. As long as Ladybug was happy, that’s what mattered.

“I understand, my Lady.” He gave a chaste kiss onto her forehead. 

Ladybug surprised him by standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. “Thank you, Chaton. That means a lot to me.” She gave him a small smile. “And this friend you’re worried about? I think you would make her day if you visited her sometime soon.” The Parisian boy hero nodded in agreement, returning her smile with a smaller one. “Thank you, Ladybug. I feel better about that.” She saluted before running off into the night, the zipping of her yo-yo fading away.

Chat’s heart broke, finally breaking down into tears when she disappeared over the horizon. He knew everything she said was correct. Then again, his heart had other ideas; it would take a while before it healed. 

He also knew broken hearts loved company but Marinette would have to wait. He needed time to process tonight’s events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood music for this chapter is “Not Today” by Imagine Dragons. I listened to it while I was writing the summary for this chapter. Go figure.


	9. You See Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this conclusion of the story, Marinette and Chat struggle to come to terms with their emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, y’all. In case you hadn’t Googled the song this story was inspired by, thanks for your patience! “You Don’t See Me” is sung by SafetySuit. They are GLORIOUS. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter. It’s been fun! I listened to the Violet Evergreen OST as I wrote this; excellent for mood music!
> 
> Please leave comments below on what you liked or didn’t like. I appreciate feedback. Thanks! <3

Marinette knew it could be a while before she had a visit from her dear Chaton. She hoped she didn’t wreck him too hard; after all, she knew how it felt for love to build up for so long, only to be demolished in an instant. She shook her head. The past couple days were _insane._ First her heart gets broken, only to break another’s the next day. How had her life become so full of crazy drama?! The pensive teen knew it wasn’t good for her mental health to dwell on things that couldn’t be undone, so she got herself out of her bed to get in the shower.

Tikki came up to Marinette as she came out of the bathroom, dressed in comfy black shorts and a light pink V-neck. Her glossy hair was up in a high bun, out of the way so she could play her guitar.

“Marinette, are you sure you don’t want to go outside today? It’s supposed to be the perfect temperature for a walk, or even shopping with Alya!” the concerned kwami inquired of her chosen.

The raven-haired teen nodded. “Maybe later, Tik. I think I want to perfect this song I’ve been practicing first before the whole street can hear.”

Her cute little companion frowned before saying in a stern tone, “I don’t know if it’s healthy to play sad songs all the time. I’m worried it’ll make it worse. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Marinette paused. It was true that normally she’d try to play happier songs when she was down. However, she found that somehow, playing songs that she could relate to gave her comfort through empathy. In its own way, it was healthy. “I think I’m okay, Tikki. Thank you for your concern.” She snuggled the cute bug kwami softly against her cheek, causing her little friend to chuckle in approval.

All day, Marinette waited patiently for her kitty to come and be comforted. Not that she wasn’t productive. She tried out some of the harder chords of her sad song; drafted some new designs that came to mind; even texted Alya to see what she was up to for her Sunday. Still, no Chat Noir showed up.

The sun was setting before Marinette decided she was done being cooped up in her room. Dusk was the perfect time and had the perfect temperature for spending outdoors. Bringing her guitar outside, she turned on her fairy lights, giving her deck a warm glow. She slowly lowered herself into one of her chairs, then strummed some small ditties as warm ups.

As she finished one, the talented teen thought she heard a thump on the roof behind her. Guessing that Chat was nearby, she snuck a look behind her tarp, only to find nothing. _He must be by the WiFi box on the other side._ Deciding to try and lure him out, she began to play _You Don’t See Me._ She needed to let him know he wasn’t alone.

As Marinette played, she noticed a dark shadow moved in her peripheral, probably to hear her better. She tried not to smile as she continued singing, now on the second verse.

_”I’d like to hold you here in my arms and have you never leave. And I’d like to give you all that I have to have you stay with me… oh, but you, you don’t see me…”_

She heard his breath hitch.

Marinette stopped singing, worried she’d gone too far. Sniffles came from behind the tarp near her chair. Setting her guitar aside, the empathetic girl went back downstairs into the apartment. She came back up with a blanket and cat pillow, her famous ice cream sandwiches, and the ever-important tissues with a trash can.

The gentle teen put everything down before going over to bring Chat from hiding. “Come on, Chaton, it’s okay,” she said in low, soothing tones. She held out a hand and he immediately took it. Marinette squeezed it, carefully leading him to her makeshift table. “Wait here one moment.” He nodded patiently.

The designer made quick work of his sitting space, placing the pillow and blanket near her chair where she was sitting. It wasn’t particularly cold, but she knew what comfort blankets could give no matter what time of year. Marinette knew her Chaton must’ve been extraordinarily upset since he hadn’t scarfed down the dessert she’d brought up for him yet. “Sit down here.” She gestured to his place next to hers and waited until he plopped down before she parked herself. Picking up her strung instrument of choice, Marinette continued the song where she left off.

_”Cause you don’t see me that way, you don’t see the way I look at you when you are not looking at me. I wish that I could tell you every single thought I ever had about you and me, but you don’t see me that way…”_

The part that struck the singing girl most came up, almost bringing her to tears. She noticed Chat tense up as well. _I guess we have more in common than I thought,_ she speculated. _We kind of just watched our loves from afar and kind of kept to ourselves. Chat seemed like the flirtatious type who never took love seriously, until I got to know him. Now I know; he takes matters of the heart quite seriously._  
Something warm bloomed in Marinette’s chest, startling and soothing her simultaneously. The feeling brought memories of Adrien from the moment she first fell in love with a strike of lightning to now; they’d gone through so much together. Her most cherished moments came to mind as she continued to play the instrumental part of the song: seeing Adrien happy about his scarf; almost kissing him for the class video; mailing her Valentine; him spending the day with her at her uncle’s food competition; dancing with him at Chloe’s party; but most of all, she loved the time she’d received a handmade gift from the crush himself, revealing he’d kept hers the whole time. She saw that as a possibility that he was starting to see her as more than friends. She shook her head slightly. That obviously wasn’t true in light of relatively new information.

_”No, you don’t see me that way…you don’t see me that way._

As the song ended, the echo of the notes she played faded into the night air.

_Goodbye, Adrien. You will always have a special place in my heart. I hope this girl you like will make you happy._

Tears delicately slid down Marinette’s cheeks as she bid her silent farewell. A heavy stillness fell over the couple as they lost themselves in their individual thoughts. It only broke when Chat asked in a cracked voice, “Will you play that One Punch Man song you learned?” Marinette looked over into Chat’s red-rimmed eyes and responded with a low, “I would love to.” She figured it wasn’t the ideal time to point out she’d never mentioned she learned music from OPM to Chat, or Adrien, for that matter. He’d realize his mistake later. For now, comforting him was the priority.

As she started playing, she decided to fully give the whole story to Chat. He had given her advice, after all, and deserved to know the whole of it. Even if he did overhear who she actually crushed on, he needed confirmation.

“I had begun to be better friends with Adrien Agreste and it was amazing,” she began softly. “I was starting to see him as a person instead of an idol. I mean, I know he’s sweet and kind; he has a beautiful heart.” She paused. “He forgave me when I didn’t deserve it. I was going to continue to try and ignore him because I thought he was Chloe’s friend, and she’s been bullying me for years. I thought he put gum on my seat and didn’t listen to him when he tried to explain. Yet he tried to reach out to me. Lightning struck.” She gave a small giggle.

Looking over to her kitty, Marinette saw him paying rapt attention to her story. She wasn’t sure why, but if it helped, she’d continue.

“That was when I fell for him. After that, I couldn’t use words around him; I stuttered like you wouldn’t believe! And I’m normally clumsy but it was almost like it was on hyperdrive whenever he was nearby! It was pretty bad,” she smiled ruefully. “But after getting to know him, I got to see a dorky side I would’ve never seen had I not looked past his mask. It made me happy to see more of his personality; it made me fall in love more. I wanted to impress this side of Adrien more than ever, so I went to the library Friday afternoon during free period.”

Chat’s ears perked up. He’d been wondering what she was doing there.

Marinette continued. “Adrien had just introduced me to One Punch Man and I _loved_ it! It was so amazing, so I was inspired to learn some of the music regardless of wanting to impress him. So as I was looking up music, I heard someone yell ‘I love you.’” For some reason, the hero winced a little at that. Deciding to ignore it, Marinette moved on. “I thought someone was confessing but they sounded upset, so I thought maybe I’d need to step in if it got out of hand.”

The guitar went silent as the heartbroken girl remembered what she’d heard that day. She looked out across her balcony to the river. “That’s when I overheard Adrien talking about this girl he liked. He was talking to his best friend, who thought the girl was me, but it wasn’t. I understand I’m not the only girl he knows well and yet it still hurt. I thought I was doing so well trying to get his attention to show how much I cared—”

She was abruptly cut off by a warm hand on her wrist and another hand gently removing the guitar from her tight grasp. Marinette blinked tears away. When had she started crying? The next thing she knew, she was being drawn into a caring embrace by her Chaton. The small girl was surprised how much his body enveloped hers. The love she felt through his hug brought even more silent tears to her bluebell eyes, causing her to hold on tight.

“Marinette.” Her name was spoken with such tenderness.

“Cha-Chaton?”

He pulled away, wearing the most sincere expression she’d ever seen on his face. Her heart beat a little bit faster. Her kitty scanned her face, carefully wiping away the tears that had fallen down her soft cheeks. He was so gentle. Marinette’s face went beet red, reality coming back to her. She was supposed to be comforting her partner, not the other way around! Instead _she_ broke down in tears while telling her love story and was being comforted. How mortifying! Did Chat’s thoughtfulness never end?

She continued to wait for Chat to speak but all he did was continue to study her face, as if memorizing it. His expression was almost unreadable except for his eyes, which held…awe? Before she could read into it more, her kitty shook his head as if to clear it. He finally spoke. “Thank you for telling me. I know that was hard for you.”

Marinette nodded. “It just kinda came out unexpectedly. Hehe.” She scratched the back of her head, feeling a bit awkward she’d opened her heart as much as she had. But seeing that Chat didn’t make fun of her made her realize just how much he must care for her. The thought caused another blush to appear on her cheeks. He truly was a gentlecat.

Wanting to distract herself from dangerous thoughts, Marinette asked, “Do you want to watch a chick flick with me? All girls need their ice cream and chick flicks to help soothe their broken hearts!”

Her Chaton made a face. “Am I a girl now?” A light tinkling laugh came out of the designer, causing a funny feeling in his chest. She was so beautiful when she laughed, even with tears streaming down her cheeks…

“Of course not, silly kitty! But all broken hearts must be treated carefully, and I’ve always suggested ice cream sandwiches made with my parents’ cookies and a chick flick to cleanse all the feels!”

Chat chuckled. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t mind what we do, Princess.”

Marinette beamed. That was the Chaton she knew. If he was already teasing her, she knew everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s it, fam! Thank you so much for reading this small fic in a large fic world! I know this ends kinda bittersweet (though my tag did try to warn ya), but if enough people ask me for a continuation of some kind, like a one shot, or even a series of one shots, I can continue writing for this particular AU. Maybe I'll write a bonus chapter in Adrien's POV for Chapter 9.
> 
> I have only one other idea for this particular storyline, and it would be titled “Herp de Derp.” Here’s a link for the original music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pr-xzajQo0&t=6s. And here’s the link for the Miraculous Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHYfmzbXFlI&t=1s. It would be more of an Adrienette kind of fic where they’d sing a duet. We shall see, though.
> 
> Special thanks go to my hubby, for helping me figure out how guys’ emotions work; and for my youngest sister, for always being willing to give me feedback and talking Miraculous whenever! I love you guys!


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